title: Aerobic conditioning, blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI) of older participants of the Brazilian Family Health Program (FHP) after 16 weeks of guided physical activity.
abstract: Because physical exercise is an efficient means to improve maximum consumption of oxygen (VO(2max)) and reduce body fat, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of 4 months of a guided physical activity program on BMI, BP and estimated VO(2max) of older participants of the FHP. The sample was composed of 70 older participants who were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) (26 women and 9 men) and the control group (CG) (20 women and 15 men). The program of physical activity included walking, hydrogymnastics, weight-training exercises and stretching exercises. The intensity of the aerobics exercises was set such that participants would achieve 55-65% of the estimated maximum heart rate, with the corresponding effort to be subjectively rated by the participant as 12-13 points on a 6-20 point scale. After 4 months of guided physical activity, there was a significant 19.26% improvement in the VO(2max) in the EG (p ≤ 0.001), and the diastolic pressure in the EG was significantly lower than that in the CG (p ≤ 0.001). In conclusion, the 16-week program of physical activity significantly improved the cardiorespiratory capacity of older individuals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Exercise Physiology (LAFIEX) from Estácio de Sá University, Avenida Prefeito Dulcídio Cardoso, 2900, Rio de Janeiro 22680-100, RJ, Brazil. marcusvianna@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Marcus Vinicius Accetta
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Vianna
authors.forename: Samária
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali Cáder
authors.forename: André Luiz Marques
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Andrea Carmen
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Ignácio Antônio
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Seixas-da-Silva
authors.forename: Adriana Ribeiro de O N
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: do Rêgo
authors.forename: Kleber do Sacramento
authors.initials: Kdo S
authors.lastname: Adão
authors.forename: Estélio Henrique Martin
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Dantas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*